Addressed by the Word

Abstract

Eduard Thurneysen (1888-1974) was a close friend and confidant of Karl Barth. Whereas Barth pursued an academic career in theology, Thurneysen was committed to pastoral ministry. For him, the church is the "Existenzgrund" and subject of all theology as the gathered congregation is addressed and shaped by God’s living Word. Cast in Barth’s long shadow, Thurneysen has often been overlooked in scholarship. However, he is a significant theologian in his own right, focusing on questions of pastoral care, the church, popular culture and the intersection of theology with other disciplines (such as psychology). In short, his theology is earthed in the messy and ordinary reality of being human.

In this book, Jordan Redding argues that Thurneysen’s theology of being human continues to offer much to the church today. Thurneysen realized that the practice of pastoral care reflects assumptions about what it means to be human. Conversely, pastoral practices articulate, embody, and inform theological anthropology. Thurneysen’s theology of being human is therefore deeply practical. This book is for anyone interested in the intersection of theological anthropology with pastoral practice of the church. It is also recommended for anyone interested in practical questions emerging from Barth’s Theology of the Word.